Is that a gun, or are you just happy to see me?

Maybe I’m just out of the loop, but since when are IU students allowed to carry weapons on campus?

Oh wait, they can’t. And I’m okay with that.

Somehow it never occurred to me that at any college, students may be carrying concealed weapons on them. It just sounds to me, put simply, really dumb.

I understand why students would want to carry a concealed weapon. After incidents like the Virginia Tech and University of Texas massacres, there’s always an underlying fear that one of your classmates may emotionally explode and take it out on his psychology lecture class.

And there are more personal fears for us IU students. For females in particular, there’s the fact that about one in four college women is a victim of attempted or completed sexual assault. Those rates are high enough to make anyone want a weapon.

There are the muggings, like the one that happened in the Eigenmann Hall parking lot last fall semester. A gun probably could have helped that poor guy.

The many posters of Lauren Spierer’s face remind us that no matter who we’re with or how close we are to home, we’re not invincible.

There are so many reasons to allow concealed weapons on campus that I’m almost talking myself into supporting the idea. Almost.

State Sen. Jim Banks fully supports students having the right to carry a concealed weapon. He has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for universities to ban guns on campus. He recognizes college students are responsible adults and have the right to protect themselves.

IU has opposed the bill. Mark Land, an IU spokesman, said the University is opposed because it is best the University decides its own gun policies regarding students and employees.

The concern in allowing this bill is students would abuse the right. Instead of deterring crime, the approval of concealed weapons could cause more — by accident, if not on purpose.

An example Land provided was the fatal accident at Purdue in 2009, in which a pair of students jokingly aimed a gun at another student and it fired.

I agree with Land. I think students having guns would result in more injuries.

The bottom line is that I don’t trust you guys. No offense. I barely trust my best friend with her pepper spray.

There is no way I can comfortably walk around campus knowing some of you have guns under your jackets, even if you do have a permit.

If IU students really feel that unsafe, maybe the University should stop building gaudy new dining halls and hire more security. Just please don’t give the drunk frat bros an excuse to have weapons.

­— lnbanks@indiana.edu.
Follow columnist Lexia Banks on Twitter @lexiabanks